Members of the Louisiana House Appropriations Committee inquired about what was being done to find Purcell's successor during a hearing on next year's higher education budget held Monday morning. They also wanted to know how much the Regents planned to pay the new commissioner. Purcell made $275,000 before leaving his post, according to officials.

The Board of Regents chairman, W. Clinton "Bubba" Rasberry, was circumspect about what the board intended to do about compensation. It had allocated $275,000 for the new commissioner's salary, but might try to find more money in their budget if that was needed.